Speed adjustment device



Filed Dec. 4 1965 ELECTE/C EYE \6 SSSSS'VKY United States Patent3,290,961 SPEED ADJUSTMENT DEVICE Frank W. Broderick, R0. Box 2,Stirling, NJ. Filed Dec. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 328,081 2 Claims. (Cl.74-665) This invention relates to selectively increasing or decreasingthe speed of rotation momentarily of a constant rotational speed devicewhile running.

In the operation of a rotary printing press having a mated set ofembossing rolls to effect an exact register of printing with embossingand wherein said printing rolls and said embossing rolls are driven froma common constant speed shaft, it occasionally happens that the printingand the embossing become out of register often by a small distance.

Such out-of-register between printing and embossing in the length of theweb being printed is very noticeable and hence undesirable.

Up to now it was practically impossible to bring these out of registereffects into register while the machine is running at high speed,

By the use of the invention herein the out of register embossing may bebrought into register while the machine is running at constant speed.

It is an object of this invention to provide means for selectivelyincreasing or decreasing momentarily the speed of a constantly rotatingaxle.

It is another object to provide a speed adjustment device on theembossing mechanism of a constant speed printer-embosser whereby out ofregister embossing may be brought into register with the printing whilethe machine is running at a constant high speed.

These and other advantages of this invention will become apparent uponreading the following descriptive disclosure of several illustrativeembodiments thereof shown in the accompanying drawing and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the device, broken away in part to show thedetails thereof and electrical actuation means,

FIG. 2 is a section view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a partial view showing the use of hydraulic actuation means inlieu of the electrical actuation means of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the electric eye modification of thisinvention.

Turning to the drawing, a constant speed drive shaft 10 used to operateall printing roll and the embossing rolls is secured to a constant speedmotor (not shown).

The shaft 11 to power the embossing rolls is provided with a suitablehelical gear 12 conventionally fixedly secured thereto.

The common drive shaft 10 is provided with a bevel gear 13 and aco-acting bevel gear 14 is fixedly secured to a rotatable shaft 15.

In conventional practice shaft 15 is provided a conventional gear whichdrives another conventional gear on shaft 11 of the embossing roll.

However, according to this invention shaft 11 is provided with arelatively narrow helical gear and shaft 15 is provided with arelatively wide helical gear 16.

The gear 12 is fixed to shaft 11 but gear 16 is slideable on shaft 15while it is rotating at constant speed.

To bring about this sliding effect of gear 16 on shaft 15 while shaft 15is rotating at constant speed, the shaft 15 is provided with a suitablylong slot 17 located adjacent gear 12. Also the gear 15 on its innercylindrical surface is provided with a co-acting slot 17X. A key 18 isdisposed in slots 17 and 17X locking the gear 16 to shaft 15 to preventrotational movement of one relative to the other. Yet wide gear 16 islinearly slideable in ice shaft 15 due to the linear key 18 disposed inslots 17 and 17X.

In order to move the rota-ting wide gear 16 a bifurcated yoke 20 isprovided, the forks 21 and 21X of which engage the respective ends ofthe gear 16..

The forks 21 and 21X preferably are in sliding engagement with therotating flat end walls 22 of the gear 16. To this end, the forks areeach preferably provided short stout abutments 23 of small area whichmay be curved in part around shaft 15.

Various controlled means may be used to move the yoke 21 a smalldistance as desired. FIG. 1 shows the use of an electric motor 30actuating a threaded shaft 31 of suitable small spiral grooves.

As shown in FIG. 1 the yoke 20 is provided with a pair of holderbifurcations 24 of suitable thickness, each of which are provided withscrew threaded apertures to receive threaded shaft 31.

Clearly rotation of shaft 31 moves the yoke 20' along the shaft 15 andhence the wide helical gear 16.

The yoke 20 may be moved linearly by hydraulic means (FIG. 3).

In this case the bifurcations 24 are secured to a piston rod 40 by meansof set screws 41. The piston rod is moved by hydraulic piston 42 bymanipulation of the controls 43.

Where electric, hydraulic and like means are used to control themovement of yoke 20, their actuation may be effected by electric eyes,which eyes are actuated by sensing means sensing out of registerconditions.

The actuation of yoke 20 hence may be variously effected manually,mechanically and otherwise.

The device of this invention is useable with the invention set forth inBroderick US. 3,088,399 by connecting gear 12 to the shaft 22Y of saidpatent.

This invention is clearly of a generic scope and not limited to theillustrations of this disclosure.

I claim:

1. A speed adjustment device for selectively momentarily adjusting thespeed of one of a pair of constantly engaged shafts each normallyrunning at constant speed comprising a relatively narrow helical gearfixedly secured to the driven shaft, the speed of which is to beadjusted; a relatively wide helical gear having a keyway slot in itsaperture; a driver shaft having a longitudinal channel therein; a keydisposed in said driver shaft channel and in said wide helical gear slotpermitting longitudinal movement of said wide gear on said keyway; andbifurcated means for selectively sliding said wide helical gear havingrespective forks of which slidingly engage the respective opposing endwalls of said wide gear and actuating means actuated by an electric eyefor moving said bifurcated means parallel to the axis of the drivershaft, whereby the speed of said driving gear is adjusted by frictionalsliding on the incline plane surfaces of said wide helical gear.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said actuating means for moving saidbifurcated means is a hydraulic piston.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,884,605 10/1932 Dina 74-750 2,529,161 11/1950 Kelling et a1. 226-31 X 2,546,2823/1951 Warren 74-63 2,583,580 1/1952 Ludwig 226-31 2,881,628 4/ 1959Hannon 74393 2,933,938 4/1960 Glaser.

3,043,156 7/1962 Hannon 74-393 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.J. R. BENEFIEL, Assistant Examiner.

1. A SPEED ADJUSTMENT DEVICE FOR SELECTIVELY MOMENTARILY ADJUSTING THESPEED OF ONE OF A PAIR CONSTANTLY ENGAGED SHAFTS EACH NORMALLY RUNNNG ATCONSTANT SPEED COMPRISING A RELATIVELY NARROW HELICAL GEAR FIXEDLYSECURED TO THE DRIVEN SHAFT, THE SPEED OF WHICH IS TO BE ADJUSTED; ARELATIVELY WIDE HELICAL GEAR HAVING A KEYWAY SLOT IN ITS APERTURE; ADRIVER SHAFT HAVING A LONGITUDINAL CHANNEL THEREIN; A KEY DISPOSED INSAID DRIVER SHAFT CHANNEL AND IN SAID WIDE HELICAL GEAR SLOT PERMITTINGLONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF SAID WIDE GEAR ON SAID KEYWAY; AND BIFURCATEDMEANS FOR SELECTIVELY SLIDING SAID WIDE HELICAL GEAR HAVING RESPECTIVEFORKS OF WHICH SLIDINGLY ENGAGE THE RESPECTIVE OPPOSING END WALLS OFSAID WIDE GEAR AND ACTUATING MEANS ACTUATED BY AN ELECTRIC EYE FORMOVING SAID BIFURACATED MEANS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF THE DRIVER SHAFT,WHEREBY THE SPEED OF SAID DRIVING GEAR IS ADJUSTED BY FRICTIONAL SLIDINGON THE INCLINE PLANE SURFACES OF SAID WIDE HELICAL GEAR.